The present invention generally relates to the area of luggage options for motorcycles. Specifically, this invention relates to luggage which may readily be fastened to a motorcycle, the luggage having internal shelves, thus providing ease, convenience, and organization for the rider and/or passenger in transporting their belongings by motorcycle.
Limited space is available on motorcycles for a rider and the rider""s passenger to carry their belongings. Some motorcycles may come equipped with large capacity saddlebags or panniers hanging down on either side of the rear wheel, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,960 (Vetter). However, such luggage can be expensive, difficult to remove from the motorcycle, and too bulky to easily hand carry when the rider wishes to carry his or her belongings into a motel, campsite or other lodging. Moreover, some motorcycle riders feel such luggage is unsightly on their motorcycles and creates additional surface area for wind resistance.
Because of the disadvantages of mounting motorcycle luggage on either side of the wheel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,068 (Lovett) proposes a bag supported by either the motorcycle seat member or by a rack structure. An object of the bag in the ""068 patent is to overcome the disadvantages of the saddlebags or panniers by providing a travel bag which can be easily attached and removed from the motorcycle. This bag is secured to the motorcycle through the use of a pocket on the front of the bag, where the pocket is sized to fit snugly over the rear passenger seat back or sissy bar. The pocket is located on the bag so that the bottom of the bag will just rest on the luggage rack when the seat back is completely inserted into the pocket. However, careful construction of the pocket is central to the successful operation of this bag. The pocket must be so constructed that the internal volume of the pocket is less than this bag. The pocket must be so constructed that the internal volume of the pocket is less than the volume of the padded seat back, because the pocket must partially compress the resilient material of the seat back for the bag to be securely attached to the motorcycle. Because the rear seat back varies in dimensions from model to model of motorcycle, it is necessary to specifically size the pocket and the rest of the bag for each particular model of motorcycle.
Another disadvantage of fabric bags, which have no internal reinforcement members, is that the bag must be completely filled, because a loosely filled bag will vibrate and flap when the motorcycle is in motion. The bag disclosed in the ""0068 patent partially solves this problem through the use of a zippered gusset that allows the travel bag to expand as extra space is required. However, depending upon the volume of items to be stored in the bag, if the bag disclosed in the ""0068 patent is only partially filled, with the zippered gusset closed, excess fabric may still vibrate and flap.
A feature common to most previous motorcycle luggage, including saddlebags, panniers, and the bag disclosed by the ""0068 patent, is that the main storage space defined by each of these devices is merely a large enclosure with minimal internal structure for organizing the user""s belongings. The user fills the enclosure with his or her belongings from the bottom of the luggage device until the luggage is fully loaded. However, because there is no internal structure, items packed within the enclosure may shift during travel, with smaller or heavier items working to the bottom of the enclosure. Although the user, desiring to have ready access to certain items, may pack these items at the top of the enclosure, it may be necessary to completely empty the bag in order to locate the items because they may have shifted to the bottom of the enclosure during travel.
The lack of internal storage structure in existing motorcycle luggage also results in clothing items becoming crumpled and wrinkled from shifting of the packed items. Clothing items which were neatly pressed when placed within the luggage become wrinkled because there is no internal structure for supporting and protecting clothing from being crumpled inside the luggage.
The present invention is a travel bag adaptable for motorcycle transportation. The invention is comprised of a shell, a shelving insert contained within the shell, and securing members for securing the travel bag to a motorcycle. The shell is opened by operating fasteners allowing access to the shelving insert and the inside of the shell. The shelving insert has a top shelf, bottom shelf, two side pieces and a plurality of intermediate shelves, and may have a back piece. The travel bag provides a convenient and secure apparatus for organizing, storing and transporting clothing, helmets, gloves, toiletries, shoes, camping equipment, tools and other items on the back of a motorcycle. Items may be stored on the shelves of the shelving insert or in various pockets which may be attached to the exterior of the shell. The travel bag maintains the organization of the goods packed by the user, allowing the user ready access to specific desired items without the user having to unpack all of the contents of the bag. This invention allows the user to pack and transport neatly pressed clothing items, without the clothing items becoming excessively wrinkled or disorganized. This invention provides internal reinforcement to a fabric travel bag so that a partially-filled travel bag will not vibrate or flap excessively when the motorcycle is in motion. This bag may be secured to the motorcycle without the need to size the mechanism for the particular model of motorcycle. Rollers or wheels may be mounted on the bottom of the travel bag allowing for easy transportation of the device after it has been removed from the motorcycle.